Jim Hill
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Mind you, Mickey's bottom line is taking an awful whack as a result of the tragedies in New York City & Washington D.C. For example: This past Tuesday, fewer than 16,000 paying guests pushed their way through the turnstiles at Walt Disney World. Mind you, that's not the attendance for just one of the Florida's theme parks. That's the total daily attendance of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney/MGM Studio theme park & Disney's Animal Kingdom combined.
So is it any wonder that Walt Disney World is suddenly supposedly telling its part-timer staffers to stay home? Yesterday, some 15,000 cast members were told that they should expect not to be called back into work again anytime soon. Rumors are now racing through the WDW workforce that -- in an effort to ride out the rough times ahead -- the Mouse may soon be forced to lay off thousands of full-time Disney World employees as well.
Mind you, the Mouse isn't the only one who's been adversely affected by all the tragedy in NYC and Washington D.C. (Not to mention the impending threat of war). Late last week, the Jim Henson Company and Creation Entertainment decided to postpone MuppetFest!, their long planned two-day-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of "The Muppet Show" that was to have been held this coming weekend in Pasadena, CA. For further information as to when this event will be rescheduled, I suggest you check out the MuppetFest! website at http://www.creationent.com/muppet_fest/index.html.
But given all the havoc that this tragic set of circumstances are creating for the Walt Disney Company, is it any wonder that -- as part of his introduction to "Walt: The Man Behind the Myth" -- that Eisner (after taking time out to praise all those involved in the rescue efforts) urged members of the TV audience to "to return to a way of life that is the very cornerstone of our country."
Which -- to Michael Eisner's way of thinking -- means that we should head out for Anaheim or Orlando pronto.
And you know what, folks? Uncle Michael is right.
No, I'm not saying this just to be glib. I'm serious, kids. I'd love it if all of you LaughingPlace.com readers who live in Southern California and/or Central Florida -- particularly those of you with annual passes -- would make a point of heading out to visit the resorts this coming weekend.
Why for? Well, first of all, it'll be fun. Given that the crowds at the parks have never been lighter, you and your family are bound to have a really great time. Nearly every attraction in all of the parks is sure to be a walk-on. So you'll be able to rack up plenty of rides. Plus the trip may take your mind off (albeit briefly) of all the tragedy that you've seen on the tube lately.
Plus it will show those SOBs that staged these attacks that -- try as they might -- the tactics of terror just won't work in this country. That -- no matter how deeply we've been wounded -- we'll still get on with our lives.
More to the point, a surge in attendance will send a message to the Mouse House managers. To please have a little faith, have a little patience. That -- yes, in the weeks ahead -- there will be times when there won't be a whole lot of people in the company's theme parks. We need to make it clear to Disney executives that this will strictly be a temporary thing. That -- if given half a chance -- people will still be glad to come out & spend a day at Disneyland and/or Walt Disney World.
I ask you LaughingPlace.com readers to do this because I have a lot of friends who work for the Walt Disney Company. People whose very careers could be impacted if attendance levels at the theme parks continue to drop.
So show your loyalty to the Mouse (Not to mention honoring President Bush's recent request that we all try to get on with our lives) by dropping by Disneyland and/or Walt Disney World this coming weekend. To prove to Michael Eisner that things will soon be back to normal. That there's no real reason to go forward with any more job cuts.
In the mean-time ... I'll try to get things back to normal around here too. Next week -- I promise -- I'll finally get around to finishing up my "When You Wish Upon a ... Frog?!" series.
For now ... Have a little faith. Show some patience. And -- if you're really in need of a laugh -- go pick up a copy of Amid Amidi's "Animation Blast."
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-- Jim Hill
Jim Hill can be reached using the Talkback form below or by emailing him at [email protected].
Jim Hill is this guy who lives 'way out in the woods of New Hampshire. (Hey, it's not like he wants to live there. But the Witness Protection Program has got rules, you know.) He has one beautiful daughter and three obnoxious cats. When he's not looking for real work, Jim writes about the Walt Disney Company and related matters for LaughingPlace.com, AmusementPark.com, "Orlando Weekly" and Digital Media FX.
The opinions expressed by Jim Hill, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the past decisions and future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted September 21, 2001